This invention relates to surgical needles, and more particularly to covers for the sharp tips of surgical needles. The invention provides for a retractable, collapsible cover and a telescoping needle, such that after the sharp tip of the needle has pierced the flesh of a patient during surgery and become contaminated, the medical person handling the needle will be protected from an accidental needle-stick of the sharp tip and thereby be protected from the transmission of blood borne viruses such as hepatitis and AIDS. The cover will slide forward for protection covering the sharp tip and backward for use in surgery exposing ther sharp tip.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel cover for a surgical needle.
It is another object of this invention to provide an embodiment in which the needle is slidably positioned inside a hollow needle cover at the furthermost tip of the cover so that the sharp point of the needle extends through an opening at the tip of the needle cover and the needle collapses inside the needle cover when the sharp point of the needle is struck on a hard object, but does not collapse when piercing the soft flesh of a patient during surgery.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an embodiment wherein the needle is positioned inside a hollow needle cover, such that the needle cover slides forward and backward over the sharp tip of the needle, and the needle cover is held in a forward position by a lever mechanism movably disposed within a groove on the base of the needle.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an embodiment wherein a needle is slidably disposed within a hollow needle cover, such that the needle cover does not slide forward while the needle is gripped by a needle holder, but when the needle holder is positioned so that it is gripping the needle cover only, the needle cover will slide forward to cover the sharp point of the needle when the sharp tip is struck on a hard object, but not when the needle pierces the soft flesh of a patient during surgery.
These and other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become more obvious and apparent from the following detailed specification and accompanying drawings.